“Sixty Years, Sixty Voices: Israeli and Palestinian Women”

“Listen to the women.” – Patricia Smith Melton

Spotlighting the lives of 30 Palestinian and 30 Israeli women from every walk of life, Sixty Years, Sixty Voices illuminates each woman’s deepest feelings, visions, and hopes for peace along with practical approaches they use every day to make peace a reality in their lives. The result is a mosaic of 60 different lifetimes of struggle, spirit, and sheer leaps of faith in one of the most war-torn regions of the world. In thisdeluxe 11” x 10” edition, each profile is accompanied by an exquisite color photograph of the subject.

From Knesset member to Bedouin sheepherder turned leader, from martial arts instructor to comedian to the widow of a Hamas leader, from prisoner to soldier, from Gypsy leader to rabbi to teacher of the disabled — thirty Palestinian women and thirty Israeli women say who they are, what they do, what they believe, what their life is like, and what is needed to build peace.

The book is a natural progression from Smith Melton’s years of work in the peace process and her ability to gain the trust of women on both sides of a conflict. A poet, playwright, film-maker, and photojournalist, she wanted to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel and the impact of that event for the Palestinian and Israeli people by highlighting the stories of women from the region, in creating the Sixty Years, Sixty Voices project.

Are you an educator? If you are an educator, conference leader, or NGO representative, your first book is only $15 and every book after that up to 100 is only $7!

Get a sneak peak at some of the women profiled in this extraordinary book.

“The foundations for lasting peace in the Middle East are embedded in the voices of these Israeli and Palestinian women… if we listen there is hope.”

– Mariane Pearl, documentary filmmaker, journalist and author

Mariane Pearl, documentary filmmaker, journalist and author of the memoir A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl, October 17, 2008

The foundations for lasting peace in the Middle East are embedded in the voices of these Israeli and Palestinian women. They know war and they know peace, they know weakness and strength and they know the human heart. In a torn land they find a common ground built out of wisdom, experience and because they have walked the walk. Here they stand and speak out, if we listen there is hope.

Lisa Witter, COO, Fenton Communications, co-author of The She Spot: Why Women Are Changing the World–And How to Reach Them, November 7, 2008

Sixty Years, Sixty Voices uses the format of individual story telling by 30 Israeli and 30 Palestinian women to paint the picture of our mutual destiny. Listen carefully. Peace is possible and practical.

The need to understand the Palestinian/Israeli issue has never been more urgent than it is today with the enduring conflict as dangerous as ever. Sixty Years Sixty Voices offers the reader a passionate look into the lives of 30 Palestinian women and 30 Israeli women featuring their stories of working for peace. We should therefore be thankful for this beautiful, timely and ultimately hopeful book.

My hope for Sixty Years, Sixty Voices is that it will become a catalyst for other conversations between circles of Palestinian and Israeli women, and that soon more women will be involved in the peace process itself. Women respond to stress with conversation rather than anger and withdrawal, have skills in listening and finding commonalities, and patience. These are the very qualities that peacemakers need. My hope is that Israeli and Palestinian male leaders will read this book and on reflection, they will realize the necessity for women to be involved in bringing peace to the region. Maternal concern for their children is a foundation on which women make necessary compromises and build trust, on which peace can be built. That this book is in Arabic, Hebrew and English makes it especially potent as a means of connection.

Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor of Tikkun Magazine

Sixty Years, Sixty Voices is important because it shows us that peace will come to the Middle East when we realize that generosity of spirit must replace power and domination—and that this is no longer a fantasy, but a growing on-the-ground reality.

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Connection Point: Muslim and Arab women express their viewpoints and share their perspectives in a weekly column. These columns form the groundwork for a discourse between Muslim, Arab, and Western women.